As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Oftentimes, information handling systems and other information handling resources (e.g., storage devices, input/output devices, and other peripheral devices) are each manufactured in a modular form factor and may be configured to be disposed in a chassis configured to receive such modular components. Such a chassis and its component modular information handling systems and information handling resources typically include various rails, carriers, and other mechanical components allowing for a person to add and remove the modular information handling systems and information handling resources from the chassis.
In an information handling system, a circuit board may mechanically and electrically couple to another circuit board (e.g., a midplane or motherboard) via an edge connector that coupled to a slot of the other circuit board, with additional mechanical support provided between the circuit board and a chassis housing components of the information handling system. Such additional support may be required where the mechanical support provided by coupling the edge connector to its corresponding slot is insufficient. For instance, in a circuit board which functions as a backplane for receiving modular hard disk drives, such structural attachment between circuit board and chassis may be desired to prevent backplane deflection when hard disk drives are added or removed from the backplane.
In traditional approaches, to provide such mechanical coupling between circuit board and chassis, a circuit board may include one or more holes or openings formed therein and configured to interface with hooks extending from a chassis which provide mechanical support to the circuit board, or configured to receive screws or other fasteners for mechanically coupling the circuit board to the chassis. However, such traditional approaches may have problems and disadvantages. For example, space required for the one or more holes/openings in traditional approaches reduces the amount of routing of electrically conductive traces that would otherwise be available in the absence of such holes/openings.